Architectural Lighting Testing Solutions

What is Architectural Lighting?

Architectural lighting is the intentional design and integration of light into buildings and spaces to enhance functionality, aesthetics, safety, and experience. It goes beyond simple illumination, it's about using light as a design element to shape how a space looks, feels, and is used. Architectural lighting create ambiance in any space. Whether designing a cove, soffit, valance or recessed architectural lighting, light distribution, energy efficiency, and design construction should be manufacturers’ main concerns. Intertek helps manufacturers understand all of the relevant safety and performance tests available.

What are types of Architectural Lighting and where are they used?

Why is Architectural Lighting testing important?

Architectural lighting testing is essential to ensure lighting systems are safe, reliable, and approved for use in real-world building environments. Through structured evaluation and verification, testing confirms that products meet regulatory requirements, perform as intended, and can be confidently specified for commercial, residential, and public projects—supporting safety, compliance, and long-term system reliability.

Architectural lighting testing and certification ensure products meet applicable electrical safety, building code, fire protection, and energy efficiency standards required for legal market access and project approval. Certified products are recognized by authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), inspectors, and regulatory bodies, enabling smooth permitting, installation approval, and occupancy sign-off.

Testing and certification support:

• Compliance with national and regional electrical and safety codes
• Acceptance by regulators and inspectors
• Eligibility for commercial, government, healthcare, and institutional projects
• Conformance to energy and sustainability requirements
• Risk reduction for manufacturers, specifiers, and building owners
• Traceability, quality assurance, and regulatory accountability

Certified architectural lighting systems reduce regulatory risk, prevent project delays, and enable confident specification, installation, and long-term operation in compliant building environments.

As the demand for energy efficient lighting increases, more consumers are also seeking LED products that integrate the use of dimmers, timers, and motion detectors. When incorporating these elements into their design, manufacturers of Architectural Lighting should have their products tested for capability at the component level as well as at the system level.